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Tournament of Valrose - Amarka
We had finally arrived, the Valrose Tournament of Champions was to begin in two days. There was no need for me to make myself known amongst the fighters, my secrecy could prove to be a most helpful advantage later. For this reason we had taken out a young man on our way into town so that I could blend into the masses. My doings for the next few days were easy enough. I would watch over Cali from a far, me and countless other men who saw her as mere entertainment. She had such confidence in herself that she saw no reason to be intimidated or play it safe. We were out to gain as much as we could. People were so excited by the festivities that they were bound to 'misplace' an item or two. Another task on the list was to take account of the filthy wealthy who came to solely enjoy the pain of others. They had more money than they could count so how would they know if some went missing. In the evening wenches would occupy my time until I could return to Cali's tent unseen, I had to fit the part I was playing and what young man would not be taking this opportunity. At night Cali and I would talk about the events of the day, strategies and tactics of other fighters, and occasionally about ourselves. The tournament was going well for us. Cali continued to win her battles and I had every wretched man of power accounted for. We had gained some wealth along the way too, enough to keep us going. The plan was to make our largest gain during the festivities that would follow the winner being named. Today's fight for Cali was to be a mindless win, she will face Horeak Trannyth an opponent of no match. Him challenging her with a bow could be seen as an insult, saying he could defeat her with such an inferior dueling weapon. However, we just saw it as a prime opportunity. I placed my bets on Cali and all odds were against me, they were such fools. As she was preparing for battle I took survey of those who came to watch. Many familiar faces throughout the crowd and those who were new seemed of no importance, except for one. There was one man who I had not seen and yet he was company to the Duke. I did some digging and found that the man went by Sinthaster Wolfeater and was apparently a Darkmoon Saint. Rumor has it that he left the path of knighthood and stumbled upon the Darkmoons, some say it was fate others say dumb luck. His skills are supposed to be superb, then why is he spectating and not on the battle field? While word of him is most pleasant, I sense a strong air of arrogance about him. Yet, arrogant or not that doesn't change the fact that he seems to be a great target for our work. He is bound to have valuables in his tent, not accessible to anyone but perhaps some friendly company. Haha! I must tell Cali! Profiting like this is much more a game than work. Sadly from what I have seen she seems to fit his taste more than I so she will get the honors, work always triumphs somehow. After the battle I was able to catch Cali's eye from the stands. I looked towards Sinthaster and back at her. She took a quick moment to examine him and gave a small smirk, I knew our thoughts were in line. With the nod of her head I was off on pursuit. He was shorter than expected, barely taller than I, yet he brought a presence of such power that you would have thought him to be three times that height. I followed him through the day to find that his greatest loves are thoses of wine and a fine lass. While his sharp wit was implied I was able to track him undetected, even to the whereabout of his tent. With all the material needed to bait him in, I went off in search of my little bird. Her name was Iona. She was sleeping with those in charge of the tournament with selling their knowledge in mind, smart girl. I had been trading her beautiful silver bangles in exchange for the name of the next fighter in opposition to Cali. My heart sank a tad that night when she uttered, “Greyne Mobilis.” Greyne Mobilis has performed flawlessly throughout the tournament, I would not be surprised if he won. Cali would need help from The Seven to win this battle, fairly that is. The night was still young, so I rushed back to the tent to talk to Cali about our next move. “You’re to fight Sir Greyne Mobilis. His strength is his speed, so I recommend taking a few of his toes,” I told Cali as if it were a command. “Also, the boy. His name is Sinthaster Wolfeater. And yes, he’s a Darkmoon.” “A Darkmoon,” she sighed “I’ll be sure to play to his ego then.” Cali proceeded to write and seal a letter addressed to our prey. “That should do. Men tend to appreciate a challenge, and I’m not too worried about his work ethic. I’ve seen the way he takes his women.” Cali handed me the letter, and we both departed. The night was full of people eager to find some company and a good time. I arrived at his tent, there was no telling if he was in. “Sinthaster Wolfeater, your presence is requested,” I said in my best official tone. No answer. I did not wish to be waiting all night, so with dagger in hand I began to enter his tent. I realized quickly that no one was present. Over on the table there was what seemed to be a letter and fresh ink still out. I thought it needed no further inspection, but then it caught my eye.' ' “The fair Lady Calicana is a threat to the sanctity of this tournament. Her will may be stronger than some of her opponents, yet her disregard for regulations and manners is preposterous. She must be disposed of.” I skimmed to the bottom to see the sender, but the letter wasn’t signed. I decided it best to leave, not only the tent, but the idea of him as well. On my way back to the tent I conjured up a story to tell Cali, she needed a clear head if she was to live through tomorrow. Once back at the tent I decided to speak before she could ask any questions. “He..” “Wasn’t there,” she interrupted. “Our precious little Darkmoon was the one place we didn’t anticipate; with Greyne.” “So did you make a move?” “I couldn’t have. I know we haven’t seen the Wolfeater fight, but if he is aliased with Greyne he must be impressive. Although I suppose he could be an accessory. The amount of time they spend around such burly soldiers must lead to some homoerotic tendencies.” We couldn’t help but snicker. “Well, what happened with you? Did you drop the note?” “His tent was guarded by men much larger than I. In fact, they thought me a young boy, so I didn’t even get a look inside…” I trailed off, remembering what I had seen. Hopefully she bought it. “Maybe if your facial hair wasn’t smudging…” she teased. “Oh yes. If only I could get as in character as you. I’ve heard harlottes are very hard to imitate,” I countered. “Haha. Yes, the attention is nice, but we both know I do it for all the ass.” Bless The Seven that we found eachother. “Well, we ought to continue on with business. I may as well send one of your girls to Greyne’s tent with the note. I’m sure they’ll be there a while. I gifted them a few women for company.” “Of course. And what about Greyne?” “I suppose you must bet against me.” “Cali, we both know you can put up quite a fight at times.” I needed her to have some hope if she were to just survive. “I appreciate the flattery, but you know just as much as I how good he is, how his style over rules mine. You will bet against me.” “Very well.” Business must come first. The next morning I ventured out and placed my bets against Cali. My winnings would not be as steep as before for now I was just part of the majority. As I was scouting the shops for prizes to grab at the end of the festivities, I saw that damn boy going to see to Cali. I had hoped that the note wouldn’t get to him, The Seven apparently weren’t listening. I watched him "speak" to her and it took all of my might not to interrupt him with a slash to the back. She can defend herself, I kept thinking, she has dealt with bastards before and this one was no different. I went to my regular area to watch the battle, but I kept an eye on him. The fight went as expected, Cali lost even with her valiant effort. As the final battle began I put my money on Greyne and the man pulled through. As the crowning was about to begin I noticed our Darkmoon being pulled into the Duke’s tent. What was so important that it could not wait till after the crowning? Once out he spoke to Aurilus, seemed to be a matter of business. Then, I saw him saw him say the word “Calicana” and hand Aurilus a small sack. Shit, no doubt that the note went through now. There was not much I could do other than prepare her for the encounter. She knew of Aurilus from our discussions of the events, but not his face. In the chaos surrounding the crowning I made my way to her, just before he could, and whispered his name in passing. Maybe she would come to her senses and stay on the track we had planned. Yet, I saw her pocket the bag, and a smirk from Sinthaster when Aurilus returned with the news. Without other connections I had only one choice. I grabbed what I could during the rest of the festivities, including a pair of beautifully crafted boots, a bundle of purple sage blossoms, and about 500 sovereigns. In returning to the tent I noticed that Cali’s things were untouched. I guess she won’t be returning for them. While packing up what little we had, I decided to go sell many of the goods for I had no to room to carry them. I was going to have to follow his army to keep an eye on her. It was back to the woods, back to fighting just to see tomorrow, and back to being alone. Category:Amarka Category:Character lore